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OLOSPO ROCKS TEXAS WITH RECKLESS ABANDON

olospo | Club Clearview | Dallas, TX | 5.16.03

When the guys from Dallas-native olospo take the stage, rest assured that at least three out of four of them will be barefoot. Combined with a night full of extended jams, unexpected covers and well-lubed originals, the barefoot banditos never fail to impress.

By Tony Stack

The show started around midnight as the guys hurried to set up their equipment; this was the second show of the day as the guys finished up a set at the Grapevine Main Street Days festival only hours before. It would have been possible for olospo to play an okay show and blame it on the heavy work load. This was not the case.

The band grabbed the audience’s attention right away with a great jammed out version of the Super Mario Bros. theme song, something that olospo is quickly becoming known for wherever they travel. The whole thing is quite genius, but the “star power” bit is my favorite.

After warming up the crowd, the band fell into some deep jams to impress the hometown fans. “Dirty Rita” made an appearance on the set list for the first time in a few shows. The tune is reggae tinged, but also has an ’80s-type vibe happening in the chorus.

By Tony Stack

“Chewing on Glass,” sung mostly by keyboardist Britt Morris, is an older olospo tune from the Herbal Tea album that’s been showing up lately. The guys do a great job of keeping things tight and organized as the diverse sounds from the different instruments float through the air and become one.

Most of olospo’s tunes offer commentary on the way we live our lives and they challenge us to step back from our selves to gain a better perspective. This is especially relevant as myself and a few other diehard olospo fans were graduating from college only six hours after the end of the show.

This was also apparent in the covers chosen by the ‘spo. One of the highlights of the evening was an interesting “Run Like an Antelope > Breathe > Run Like an Antelope.” Most of the crowd erupted as they each figured out the song within a minute of the usually 12+ minute Phish jam. Then, from out of nowhere, “Antelope” melted into Pink Floyd’s “Breathe” – completely unexpected. This only lasted for a few hand-selected lyrics and then the band faded back into “Antelope” for the lyrical part of the song. Clearly, everyone took the hint and was out of control for the rest of the number.

By Tony Stack

Deep Purple’s “Hush” also made it back onto the olospo stage as the guys combined the feverishly catchy original verses and choruses with extended instrumental jams in the middle. The band also continued to work out new numbers like “Bitter Beer Face” and “Film at Eleven,” much to the crowd’s delight.

Other highlights included a few numbers with dual keyboardists as Britt shared his set up with opening band Greyhound’s keys cruncher Anthony Farrell.

olospo, as they often do, played until the house lights and house music came on. This is a clear indication that the bar workers are ready to go home and the band respected that. But not until after an excellent “Under Pressure.”

The guys are now traveling in the Midwest, so if you reside in the Midwest or have reliable transportation and gas money, come and check out the ‘spo at a small bar or outdoor music festival in your neck of the woods.